


Similar

by BuddyTheMeanPeacock



Series: The Crest of Riegan [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen, Headcanons galore lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21752212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuddyTheMeanPeacock/pseuds/BuddyTheMeanPeacock
Summary: Claude finds many things used in combat that heal. He tries to see if he can relate to any of them.
Series: The Crest of Riegan [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563514
Comments: 2
Kudos: 69





	Similar

At first Claude only studied faith magic in class, when it was taught.

He made no efforts to try and learn more on his own time, as opposed to many of the other classes taught in Garreg Mach. But unlike lance training where he truly did want to be better but couldn't seem to wrap his head on how it works, faith just didn't capture his attention enough for him to warrant any extra effort. The magics were hard enough for him to get a grasp on- so many incantations and circles and formulas, no wonder Lysithea is always so cranky if she has to remember all of that- but the endless scriptures on how wonderful and divine and holy the Goddess was simply added to the strain of learning the actual magic.

But then he saw Marianne on the field.

She was attacking- a rare sight, considering her usual position in the back as healer, but a brigand managed to slip past their defenses. Thinking she was an easy target he charged at her, but she defeated him with a perfectly aimed Nosferatu.

He saw it. He noticed the scratch she took to her face from a stray branch on the way to route the bandits heal away, the only wound she sustained at all during the skirmish. 

After that battle he threw himself into his faith studies. He waded through the never ending scriptures, learned the formulas, the incantations, the circles, enough to show the results he wanted. 

He could cast Nosferatu like it was nothing. He practiced daily against the dummies, spells being too dangerous to use against fellow students. It went off but gave nothing in return, the lifeless dummies having nothing to take. He had to wait until their next skirmish.

And he did.

Equipped in robes suitable for casting magic, bow strapped to his back for when he needed it, he cast off the spell as he did dozens of times before on an unsuspecting brigand.

It landed. The lights surrounded the man and attacked, and he felt the warm embrace of the faith magic encompass him.

He froze.

It wasn't the same.

He pulled out his bow and mindlessly picked off the remaining few bandits. He put on an easy smile and talked small, casual banter as his mind reeled from the discovery. He has to talk to Marianne. She knows faith better than anyone else in the Golden Deer.

He waits a few days before approaching her.

"Hey there Marianne!"

She jumps and spins to him. "O-Oh! Hello Claude..." she pauses and looks down to the ground. "U-Um... do you need something?"

"Oh it's nothin' big," he says playfully, careful not to encroach her space. He needs her to answer him. "Just had a question about a faith magic."

"O-Oh, really?" She looks up cautiously at that, the familiar topic opening her up more, just as Claude hoped it would. "Sure... What do you want to ask?"

"I'm just a little confused on the Nosferatu spell." He puts a hand to his hair, trying to look confused. It was easier than he thought it'd be. "I thought I knew how it works but I'm not so sure anymore. I don't get why you heal after you use it."

Her lips twitch upwards, not quite a smile but no longer a frown. "That's simple enough... The spells takes the magic power stored in the target's body, and converts it to healing magic to send back to the caster. I-it's sort of like forcing whoever you use it on to use the heal spell on you, but... the more the target's magical reserves are untouched, the more you can tap into..."

"Wow, sounds nasty," he responds, taking in the information, hoping he hid the quickened pace of his heartbeat with his nonchalance. Is that what it's been? Just taking their magic? That horrid pale green light-

"So what color is the magic?" He tongue betrays him, asking the question as soon as the loose end appeared within his thoughts.

Marianne scrunches her eyebrows. "Color? What... what do you mean?"

He locks up.

Only for a second- he recovers quickly and restates, "Ah, so you can't see what their magic looks like when you take it? I was wondering if I just missed it or something."

Marianne shakes her head, bangs jostling side to side. "Um... n-no, not that I've ever seen..."

He felt a stabbing in his chest, a strange betrayal to his hopes. This was supposed to explain it, give a reason that was better than the one he's lived with. Why? What was different? Nosferatu healed _more_ than his damn- so then why-

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Ahh, sorry for the weird question. And sorry again, because I've got one more for ya."

Marianne looks back to the ground. "U-Um, okay..."

"What does it feel like? The healing part, I mean."

She takes a moment, whether considering his question or gathering the nerves needed to keep the conversation going Claude was unsure. Both were equally likely. Finally she answers, "It feels like... a hug. It's warm, and... nice. Like the Goddess herself is holding me in her embrace..."

He felt sick. He had felt the same when using the spell. Damn it, damn it, damn it-

He smiles at Marianne. "Ahh, I was curious about that! I'd felt the same. Nice to know it seems to be a common thing."

She nods. "Yes..."

He puts his hands behind his head. "Well, that's enough from me for now. I'll get outta your hair."

Marianne looks away. "Oh, um... it was good speaking with you..."

His smile gets a touch more genuine. "Right back at ya." 

He turns and leaves, his thoughts racing. There has to be something. He wasn't done yet.

\---

Teach was a faster disappointment.

Claude was sure the man would be his answer. He saw how the man would run into a group of bandits and heal about as much as he dished out, his ancient Crest flaring behind him each time. It was obvious what it was.

He asked him what it felt like.

"I don't notice," was Teach's simple answer. Claude felt his jaw clench.

_'How can you not notice? How can you ignore the scorching heat? The freezing cold that follows? How can you ignore how-'_

"Really?" Claude asked. 

Teach nodded. "Too much is going on when it happens. It never stays long enough for me to really take it in."

It stayed as long as the stab from the dagger's sharp blade remained in his shoulder, he remembered. It stayed as it slowly rid of the poison coursing through him. He could never ignore that.

"Ah, makes sense. That's all I was wonderin' about." He winks. "Thanks for feedin' my curiosity Teach~"

Teach nods and makes his way back to the Golden Deer's classroom.

Claude sighs. Another failure.

\---

He sees it in the way Lorenz seizes up after defeating a swordmaster that he found another lead. Dread crept up his spine; he almost didn't want to find the answer to this one. Almost.

They've driven away the Death Knight; Lysithea's devastating anti-calvary magic managed to force him to retreat. In his dash to get away he dropped a strange seal with a dark aura surrounding it. Teach had figured out it only responded to males, and he wanted the students to decide whether they should use it. Lorenz was eager to volunteer, and his better grasp at magic made him the best candidate among the Golden Deer boys. 

That had been some weeks ago, and now the noble seems to have finally mastered the class, discovering all that the dark bishop could give. 

It didn't look pretty.

Just like Marianne he gives Lorenz some space before approaching him some days later.

"Holdin' up alright Lorenz?" Though he still has to fight through his burning curiosity he truly is concerned for the taller Deer. 

He earned a glare for his efforts- disappointing but not unexpected. "And just _why_ do you ask such a question, Claude?" He says his name with a dripping venom. 

He sighed. "C'mon Lorenz, even I get worried. I saw you freeze up during the last bandit routing. Just wanted to check up on you."

Lorenz scoffed. "I truly have no idea what you are blathering about. Now, if you would please be on your way-"

"Lorenz."

He keeps his gaze on the noble, meeting his glare with as composed a face he could muster. He was getting annoyed. He needed to know. Now.

Lorenz breaks contact with another huff. "Fine. If you must be so insistent, I am fine. Truly. The last battle I was simply..." he breaks off at the memory, his gaze distant. He reels himself back in fast enough. "I was simply testing something. Lysithea and I were researching the capabilities of the strange dark bishop class and discovered they held the ability to drain the life force of those they defeat."

Claude felt his pulse quicken.

Lorenz continued, ignorant of Claude's discomfort. "After much training I felt as though I've discovered the means to do such a thing... however..." and he drifts again, a shiver forcing his body to shake. "Such a skill is utterly dreadful to experience. A wretched feeling seeps into the body. Though it may heal quite the amount, I doubt I will utilize such a skill very often in the future."

"And it's their life you're taking?"

Lorenz snapped his head at Claude's tone. "What?"

Claude held back a flinch and reigned himself back in. He has to focus. "I mean, it's not like Nosferatu? I've never heard anything like that." Except he had. It was excruciatingly familiar. But Lorenz didn't like him enough as it was- no point in giving him another reason.

Lorenz shook his head. "No, this is nothing at all like that. Nosferatu is warm- this is bitterly cold. It is awful, pure and simple."

"Damn," Claude says, "you'd think something that heals you would at least feel good."

Lorenz sighs. "Yes, well, such is the way of dark magic. Now, if you will excuse me Claude, I have more important duties to attend to than wasting time with idle chatter. Farewell." 

He lets Lorenz leave without any further harassment, content with the knowledge he was able to gleam from him. 

Cold.

He'd found it, the similarity he was looking for. The closest he could find anyway. He swallowed, nausea suddenly sweeping across him. 

His Crest didn't feel warm. There was no ignoring it. It _certainly_ didn't feel bad. It was- it was-

...

Something he can hide. Something he can push to the back of his mind. Just like everything else.

He put on a smile and walked back to the Golden Deer classroom. Teach was having a lecture on proper axe swings. He couldn't be late for it.

**Author's Note:**

> Nosferatu- My personal reasoning as to why it's considered faith magic whenever it's considered such in FE games (since I do believe 3H is not the first to consider it such). In this case, it's an ancient magic that only takes inspiration from Crest healing but 1) removes the burning heat and has since been improved to be more efficient and 2) does not involve the actual taking of lifeforce, as such is seen as black magic (which is to say that the concept of a holy force doing the same has been lost to history). Also feeds into another HC of mine where everyone HAS magic but only those who can/do tap into it can raise their resistance to magic (hence why everyone has a Mag stat). 
> 
> Crest of Flames- I've explained it longer in a comment but the short ver.: shit does too much. Byleth brain go boom if allowed to linger on all the shit it do. Byleth brain doesn't let Byleth linger.
> 
> Lifetaker- Self explanatory lol
> 
> Not gonna explain Crest of Riegan; hopefully I've done that with this series (or will do better in future oneshots if not) ;) Will still answer any questions though!


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